[Editor’s note: This story was updated to include response from BestAppleTV]
Comcast has rebuffed a news report from BestAppleTV last week that claimed, among other things, the cable giant does not plan to create an Xfinity Stream app for Apple TV.
In addition, the report said that Comcast would “pass on using the Apple TV platform” to distribute a cable TV streaming service in the future, leaning on Roku instead. The report also indicated that Comcast would repackage technology from its recent Sky acquisition (infrastructure supporting Sky’s OTT service, Now TV) and distribute to U.S. Xfinity TV customers via Comcast-labeled Roku boxes sometime in 2020.
As LightReading’s Jeff Baumgartner pointed out, part of the report seemed to confuse recent comments from NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke regarding NBCU’s planned direct-to-consumer service slated to debut in 2020, which will leverage infrastructure used for Now TV.
“Yes, NBCU plans to offer this service to Comcast’s and Sky’s pay-TV bases, but Burke said nothing about how Comcast’s Xfinity Stream app would tie into any of this,” Baumgartner wrote.
Comcast responded to the report in a statement released Monday: “BestAppleTV ran a story last week that contains numerous inaccuracies and wrongly conflates individual business dealings and relationships from Sky, NBCUniversal and Comcast Cable. To be clear, Comcast Cable is deeply invested in development and innovation of its flagship whole-home platform, Xfinity X1, that is changing the way millions of people watch TV and manage the connected home.”
A Comcast spokesperson previously confirmed to BestAppleTV that the cable giant had not reached terms with Apple to bring the Xfinity Stream app to Apple TV devices “at this time.”
Apple is not mentioned by name in Comcast’s most recent statement, though the operator noted that the Xfinity Stream app is currently available on iOS and Android mobile devices, and can be accessed through a web portal on computers and laptops. Xfinity TV subscriptions are also accessible through the Xfinity Stream app for Roku devices and Samsung smart TVs, and will soon come to smart TVs from LG and Sony.
“And Comcast Cable is actively in talks with other device manufacturers to distribute the Xfinity Stream app, under terms that are mutually agreeable, through the Xfinity TV Partner Program, which continues to enable us to efficiently and effectively expand the range of devices our customers can utilize to access their Xfinity TV subscription.” Comcast said.
BestAppleTV is sticking by its story though, and sent out the following response to Comcast’s statement:
The Comcast statement does not address or refute the specific claims of the current Apple relationship in our story. While painting a positive picture of what it’s doing to provide customer choice, it doesn’t directly address any issues related to Apple, Apple TV, or tvOS.
Furthermore, it does not re-confirm what it has already told investors…that it would take the already-developed technology from Now TV and re-package it for distribution on Comcast-labeled Roku boxes to its Xfinity cable subscribers sometime in 2020, but not on Apple TV devices. Nowhere in the statement does Comcast even mention Apple and its relationship pertaining to Apple TV or the Xfinity TV partner program, except in referencing it’s authentication capability with third-party networks. The Comcast statement is meant to re-affirm to investors that it is committed to their platform, but it does not address distinct and explicit facts of the story it criticizes. BestAppleTV.com stands by our story and the sources behind it.
